The Color of Onyx and Cherries
by skylix
Summary: After being captured by Itachi and the Akatsuki, Sakura is requested to help heal their beloved leader. After a night of laughs and fun, Itachi and Sakura begin to grow close. Sneaking out to see each other, a romantic relationship begins between the two, and a very dangerous one at that. Now with Sasuke back, he and the village grows suspicious of Sakura's constant absence.
1. Strange Happenings

**_Authors Note_**: Hello there. This is my first chapter of this story, and I haven't written in a good while! After this chapter, things will be getting a little more interesting! Enjoy!

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The air was thick, and cold. A small bag was slung over my shoulder, which was covered by a tank cloak with long, vertical red striped that protected my body from the snow Konoha had been blessed with only a few days ago. It rarely got cold in Konoha, but I had noticed a dramatic change in the weather patterns this year. The summer wasn't as hot at the previous year, and the winter was much colder than last years. My back was rested against the wall of the Konoha gates. I had been waiting here for a long time, almost an hour. Maybe I had arrived a little too early, but now even Sasuke and Naruto were a bit late. After letting out a small sigh, I could see my grey colored breath spread out in front of my mouth. Just as I rested my head back against the cold wall, I could hear my name being shouted in the distance.

"Sakura," the person shouted. I quickly got up, and straightened myself. Finally, Naruto had arrived, and walking slowly and silently behind him was none other than our returned teammate Sasuke Uchiha. I was very surprised that Tsunade had actually let him back in the village. Sasuke's homecoming wasn't a very welcoming one. Everyone in the village had glared at him, knowing the things he had done in his few years away. Not one single person welcomed him back at first besides me and Naruto. Even Kakashi-sensei had kept his distance, but still watched out for him, making sure this wasn't an act or something. One by one, our peers had welcomed him back. At first, Sasuke didn't have anyone trust. But, that was two years ago. It's been two years since he's come back. He was still the same as ever.

Sasuke still had that emotionless expression on his handsome face. His hair had been a bit longer when he first came back, but soon enough, he joined Naruto to get a haircut. He had come back after getting what he wanted—killing Itachi. Now that the Akatsuki and Madara were taken care of, the Shinobi world was peaceful for a moment. Until trouble began to arise in Kirigakure; which was the place we were headed to right now.

Tsunade had given us a mission to find out if Kumogakure and Iwagakure were making an alliance against Konoha, and planning to attack Konoha for not sending troops as fast as we could when Kumo was attacked by some of Orochimaru's old followers.

I swung the other strap of my backpack on my shoulder and waved lightly to Naruto. He had a stupid grin on his face like always. Something's just never change I suppose. It wasn't until then that I noticed that in his hands he was carrying two silver bottles, which let out steam from the top.

"Look Sakura-Chan! Sasuke got us some hot chocolate!" he said, running up to me, slightly spilling some of the contents out of the cups.

Sasuke followed close behind Naruto, and then lightly sipped on his own silver cup. He nodded after Naruto's words and, then grabbed a cap which was connected to the top of the cup by a small plastic strip, and closed the bottle.

"Thanks Sasuke," I said to him as I took the cup from one of Naruto's hands.

We all stood there in a small circle, slowly sipping on our hot chocolate for a few moments until Naruto had finished his. He let out a strong and heavy sigh which let out a slight chocolate scent into the air.

"Okay, let's go!" Naruto yelled, throwing a fist in the air and jumping up.

"Be quiet, loser," Sasuke spoke as he attached the hook of his cup to a strap on his black backpack.

I smiled, and felt a feeling of nostalgia come across me. It was just like the old days, back when we were genin. Now, we were all newly ranked Jonin and eighteen years of age. We had all matured a little bit more. Sasuke was a bit more conversational, and cracked a few jokes every now and then. He was currently debating whether or not to join ANBU or stay a Jonin. Naruto was still as annoying as ever, but he had a more serious tone to him. He was gladly working his way towards proving himself worthy of Hokage, which in my opinion; he had already proved himself more than Hokage ranking. As for me, I'm a nurse at the Konoha Hospital. I go on missions with Naruto and Sasuke to assist them if they get hurt since they seem to have a bad habit of getting injured on every mission. If it's not a tiny scratch, it's either a broken limb or an inch deep wound. I didn't really mind though. I enjoyed the company of Naruto and Sasuke—mainly Sasuke.

We walked out the gates, me in between the two.

"So Naruto," Sasuke asked, pulling the thick hood over his head, covering his black, spiked hair. "You and Hinata, how's that going for you?"

I looked up to Naruto, who now had a big, goofy grin on his face. "Well, if you really wanna know, she's been opening up to me a lot more!" he said with a laugh. "We've gotten so close, and loves when I take her out to Korean barbeque!"

Sasuke nodded, looking straight ahead at the long snowy road ahead of us. I stayed silent for a while until I noticed that Sasuke was looking down at me. Looking back up at him, I smiled awkwardly.

"How long is it going to take us to get there anyways?" he asked me, the blank expression on his face.

"Two days, if we keep the pace we're going at."

He turned away, and sighed. We walked a few more hours, talking until we began to notice the fog get thicker and thicker. I kept close to Naruto and Sasuke, continuing our conversation about stupid things Kakashi-sensei had done over the years. Every now and then, my hand would brush against Sasuke's. Soon enough, the fog got too thick, and that's when I had this strange, ominous feeling that we were being watched. Pushing the feeling away, I still made my way to Kiri with Naruto and Sasuke.

A few moments later, I could still feel the tingling sensation going on deep in my stomach, and just as I was about to warn Sasuke, I turned to see a pair of red eyes glowing in the distance. I took a step back and gasped.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Naruto questioned, raising a blond eyebrow at me.

"You didn't see that?! Those eyes!" I responded, looking around in the dark, hazy mist. Turning my head all any ways, the glowing disappeared. Sasuke swiftly pulled out his katakana, and pointed it straight ahead.

"We have to be careful… Someone is watching us…," he said, turning to me and Naruto. "This chakra is familiar, but I can't quite make out who it is exactly."

We walked in silence until Naruto, being the idiot he is, decided to turn to Sasuke and ask him something that shouldn't be asked.

"So Sasuke, you killed Itachi right? Is there anything he said to you before he died?" Naruto inquired as he scratched the back of his head.

**X**

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**X**

I stood next to Naruto, holding the papers that contained details of our last mission with Team Guy. Kakashi sat in the window behind Tsunade's desk. I could tell she was irritated with the heat. In the summer, Konoha got so hot. Earlier that week, the air conditioning had broken in Tsunade's office and she was too cheap to hire someone to fix it. Tsunade had her arms crossed over her huge chest, her eyes closed and an annoyed look on her face. I looked closely at her, and saw a drop of sweat flow gently down her forehead.

"So, what you're saying is that Sai broke his leg and you can't heal it Sakura?" she said lowly, then lightly slamming a fist against her desk. I saw the pens and papers shake, and jumped a little.

"It's on that Tsunade-sama," I said slowly. "I mean, it's just a broken leg. It'll heal in a few weeks."

She got up, and leaned against the desk with her two hands. "Team Seven's next mission will need Sai! Sakura, you do know who you're going after again, right?!" she yelled, trying to keep her temper.

I looked away, and down at the floor. I could see Naruto also turn away from her. He put his hands in his pockets, and sighed.

"Sakura, not only do we have the Akatsuki still on the loose, but Sasuke too!" she said sitting back down in her huge chair. "I've been getting far too many reports of that boy for far too long now! Next week, Team Seven is supposed to be going after him again! Naruto," Tsunade said, now directing her anger towards him.

I looked at him, holding my hands in front of me. Naruto looked up at Tsunade, his posture straight, but his face hurt by the mention of our old team mate.

"Y-Yes Tsunade-sama," he said, a little scared.

"I know Sasuke is your friend, but we can't have you letting him get away every time you get all mushy over him! He is a criminal!" she yelled at him.

"But Tsunade, Sasuke hasn't done anything!" Naruto and I both yelled at her in unison, trying to defend Sasuke, the one person we had been after and craving for so many years.

I shut my mouth, and looked at Naruto, who held rage, anger and hurt in his eyes. "He hasn't killed anyone! The only thing he did was runaway trying to find that damn brother of his! If anything, we should be after Itachi!" he yelled at her, clenching both his fists. "Sasuke is like a brother to me! He's taught me so much… I can't just let him go like that, Tsunade-sama."

Naruto looked down at the ground. Both Tsunade and Kakashi sighed. That's when Kakashi got up and walked over to Naruto, patting him gently on the back. Tsunade has a look on her face; looking a bit guilty for the words she had told Naruto.

"Leave... I and your sensei Kakashi will handle this... Maybe you two shouldn't go on this mission..." she said coldly, putting her elbow on the desk and resting her head on her hand. I looked at her one last time. Maybe the head was getting to her? Naruto and I nodded then turned around, when suddenly the door slammed opened. It was Asuma-sensei and Guy-sensei.

They both had a surprised and worried look on their faces.

"Tsunade-sama!" Guy said his voice a little shaky.

"What is it?!" she said looking up at them with a slight glare.

"It's Sasuke,"

"He's returned to the village," Asuma said, moving out of the way, letting two ANBU through the doors, holding Sasuke in their hands.

I looked closely at him, my heart beating fast. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach awaken, and my head begin to spin. My eyes were wide, and my face was red. I stood there, motionless. He stood there, not fighting them, just standing there. His head was down. His black, spiked hair was a little messy. Sasuke's clothes looked a bit dirty. The white collared shirt he wore showed his bare chest.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said breathless. I looked over to Naruto, whose eyes were wide and teary. He took a step back, unsure of himself.

Looking back at Sasuke, he slowly lifted his head and a smirk gently came across his beautiful face. His eyes were dark, but something had changed... I didn't see hatred in those eyes anymore. He looked straight at Naruto, and then turned his head slowly to me.

"Sakura," he slowly, gently spoke. I studied his face quickly. His face was covered in cuts and bruises.

My heart stopped for a quick second before a tear gently fell from my right eye. After years of searching, crying, and chasing after him, Sasuke was back. He stood there, in front of us.

** X****  
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** X**

Sasuke avoided the question, and kept walking in silence with his katakana out. I tugged on Naruto's shoulders, letting him know that the question he had asked was wrong, and very rude. He nodded, and awkwardly grinned at me before a sharp and fast kunai hit the ground which landed before Naruto's very feet.

"It's an ambush!" Sasuke said, throwing off his cloak and pulling out a kunai with his spare hand.

Suddenly, before I knew it, it was an almost rain of shuriken. Quickly, I focused my chakra into my fists, and punched the ground, preventing any kunai from hitting us.

"Sakura, are you alright?!" Naruto asked, before making a shadow clone.

I nodded until a few seconds later; I felt a sharp sting in the back of my arm. I had been hit by a poisoned kunai. My body became weak quickly, like a paper hitting rain in a thunderstorm. I fell to the floor, my body not being able to the difference between numbness and pain. Slowly, my eyes began to close and the last thing I saw where Naruto and Sasuke's feet.

Waking up, I felt people poking and shaking my limp body. The area I was in felt very humid and hot. I couldn't feel my right arm, where I had been hit and I couldn't move my body, only my eyes and mouth. I licked my lips before I felt a sharp slap curse my left cheek.

"Wake up!" someone yelled, standing over me. My eyes were half open, and I could see was a blood soaked black cloak with a red linking at the bottom. Letting out a shriek from the slap, I felt another slap grace the other cheek. "Shut up!"

I was then kicked over. Feeling came back into my hands; I felt ropes, tight around my wrist. I slowly opened my eyes the rest of the way to find a man, with slanted blue eyes and long, blond hair looking down at me with an evil smirk.

"Now you're awake!" he smirked down at me before slapping my face again once more. I grunted softly, spitting out some blood on the dirty floor beneath me. "Look guys, she's finally awake! Come here!"

I tried rolling my body over, and on the opposite side of me, there was a man with silver slicked back hair and pink colored eyes staring down at me. My eyes widened, when I realized who these people were.

"N-No… This can't be!" I mumbled to myself. Standing over me were Deidara and Hidan, two members of the Akatsuki… Hidan saw the fear in my face, and put his famous scythe to my neck.

"Okay gorgeous get up!" he ordered me. I tried pushing my body off the ground and only fell back on my side. Soon, more of them came up to me. Sasori, Kisame, Konan, and Kakuzu gathered around me, sneering and laughing at my condition.

"Look at her, she's so helpless. Why don't we just kill her now?" Kisame chimed, staring down at me. I turned away from his fishy face, only to see Konan's face in front of me. She was so pretty. I don't understand how a girl as beautiful as he was in such an awful organization as this.

"Shut up Kisame, you don't treat women like that…" she said, helping me up and cutting the ropes off my wrist with a small, single paper. I rubbed my finally bare wrists, and realized that I had let my guard down. I quickly backed into a wall, staring at them. Reaching down, I realized that my weapons pouch wasn't there. Of course they took it.

Deidara began to shake his head, laughing at my weak self. "Don't think you can escape princess! We're not letting you go that easily!"

"Why am I here?! What do you want with me?!" I yelled, looking at them, scared for my life which seemed like it could end any moment.

Konan appeared in front of me, and grabbed my hand, leading me away from the men who threatened my life. As we walked away, I could hear whispering and laughing.

"Don't mind them," she said in a mellow voice. "You've been requested."

"Requested?" I questioned, trying to yank my hand away from hers.

"Yes," Konan said, not letting the grasp on my hand go.

I gulped, before she led me to a large, black wood door. "Go in here; Nagato is waiting for you with Itachi-san…"

"Huh?" I said, as she opened the door and pushed me inside.

She shut the door behind me, and locked me inside there. The room was lightly dimmed, and there on a huge bed was Nagato, barely being able to breathe. He was coughing and in the corner of the room, was a tall man, wearing black clothing and his long, black hair tied up in a low pony tail.

"Sakura," the man in the corner said. His voice was smooth, honeyed and gentle. "Finally, you're here."

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_**Authors Note:**_ I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter! There will be many more chapters to come. This story is going to have lots of romance, secrets, lies, drama and action! I hope you liked it and stay tuned for future chapters!

Also! Please review! Thank you dears! Bye 3


	2. Missing and Aiding

**Authors Note: **Thank you all for the progress so far on this story! I have a lot planned for this and I hope you all will continue reading! I have a quick announcement! I will be partnering with my friend Davina to make some art for this story! I will have a Tumblr page soon so you guys can see and get updates about the story! If you'd like to see her art, you can check her out on **Instagram:** _uniiverse_art_

Thank you to all for reading, and I hope you like this chapter! I was really busy and didn't put a lot of effort, but nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy this! Thank you!

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**X**

I took a step back, the back of my ninja boots hitting the foot of the huge black door. The room was silent, so silent I could hear the other members talking outside. Itachi kept this stare on me, as I listened to the conversation what was going on the other side of the door.

"Do you really think she can heal him?! She's a cry baby! No way!" I heard Deidara say.

"She's the top medic in Konoha. Shut up Deidara. We must have faith in her," Konan's sweet voice spoke.

Her saying that made me feel a bit better. I directed my attention back to Itachi, who was now looking at Nagato's struggling body. He was struggling to breathe, and sounded like he was trying to cough up something that was buried deep in his throat.

"What's going on here?" I questioned, looking at Nagato and walking up to him. His eyes were closed, and his hang looked like it was trying to grab something in his chest.

Itachi was silent for a few moments, his gaze on his leader barely hanging on to life. "He was with Konan in Ame… He was poisoned by something. We don't know what it was, but he started to feel sharp pains deep within the depths of his heart. Now, he can't even breathe."

Itachi said those words so cool and calm. It almost seemed as if he could care less if Nagato died. Thoughts were racing through my mind. I thought everyone in the Akatsuki was dead? Sasuke had killed Itachi, didn't he? And me? Why was I here? From what Konan had said, I suppose they brought me here to heal Nagato.

"You can either choose to cooperate with us, or they'll kill you," Itachi said coldly. I looked up at him, when he turned away. I had never had any sort of contact with Itachi before, besides the one time we battled with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Lady Chiyo. Back then, I never paid much attention to Itachi's features. His eyes were a dark shade of onyx. They were deep, mysterious, and from what I saw, they held a single ounce of pity for Nagato. His skin was just like Sasuke's—pale, clear, and looked very soft. Itachi had almost full lips, and he looked almost exactly like Sasuke. He was much taller than me of course. He was a few feet away from me. Catching me staring at me, he turned back to me and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

A slight blush came across my pale face, and my eyes widened slightly. "N-Nothing!" I stuttered turning away until another painful cough came from Nagato.

"Heal him and the sooner you can get out. We only need you to heal him."

"You expect me to help the enemy?" I said, clenching a fist.

"Enemy?" he said with a slight chuckle.

"Yes the enemy! Now that you're all back, aren't," I began before he cut me off.

"Back? Miss Haruno, we were never gone…" he said, a smirk on his face.

"Wait, what?" my head tilted, hearing him say those words.

He sighed, and ran his fingers through the hair that wasn't tied back. "You thought that we were all gone? How foolish of you, Sakura."

The first thought that came to my mind was Sasuke. He thought his older brother was long dead. What would he do if he found out that he was still alive and well? Not only Sasuke, but the whole village thought the Akatsuki had been taken care of. We had spent so much time, and lives trying to destroy them.

"Stop asking stupid questions and heal him… I know that you're very familiar with different poisons. It's a simple task."

I looked around, hoping this wasn't some sort of joke or test. Sadly, this was real. It wasn't some nightmare I could wake up from. I had really been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, and I was helping them heal their leader. I was now a traitor to Konoha. I began looking at the symptoms Nagato had. His chest had started turning a purple color, and tears kept coming from his closed eyes. Itachi kept a close eye on me the whole time, probably watching to make sure I didn't try to kill Nagato, since his life was now in my hands.

"The poison is metal based… We're going to need specific things once I extract the poison to make sure his organs and heart function correctly. I can extract the poison with my chakra, like I did with Kankuro, but after, it's going to take a lot for his body to heal properly," I said, taking off a pair of gloves Itachi had gotten me.

He smirked, and then began a slow clap. "You sure do know your medical practice," his smooth voice said.

I smiled lightly, scratching the back of my head. "Yeah, the past two years I've been studying poisons closely. It's like everyday someone is trying to make a new potion to wipe out the human race," I giggled awkwardly.

Itachi only smiled, before putting on his cloak. "So, what do we need for him to heal after you extract the poison? Soup? Warm tea?" he joked with an almost emotionless face.

I smiled up at him, and looked into his eyes. "Not exactly, I'm going to need ginger, lemons, fresh water, cucumbers, and a bit of sugar."

"Wow," he said, opening his eyes a little, beginning to walk out of the room. "Thanks for listing everything we don't have!"

His sarcastic tone surprised me and made me laugh a little. Itachi Uchiha wasn't what I expected. I thought he was a cold, mean, and ruthless man. From what I was getting from him, he seemed like a gentle and caring man. Then again, I could be wrong?

I lightly smiled, watching him leave the room until the door opened suddenly, hitting Itachi hard in the face, knocking him on the ground.

"Itachi how's everything" Konan said as she walked into the room, with a huge smile on her face until she noticed Itachi on the ground.

I covered my mouth with my hands, a bit shocked that Sasuke's brother hadn't seen it coming. He lay on the floor, slowly moving around covering his face and groaning.

"Oh no! Itachi! Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down to him as the other members came inside the room.

"What happened?" Deidara added, peaking his head through the door.

"Whoa! Itachi took quite a hard fall didn't he?" Kisame giggled in that evil, deep tone of his.

Sasori came in, followed by Kakuzu and Hidan. I backed into the wall watching them. The Akatsuki didn't seem like the evil, ruthless and scheming villains I had once battled. It seemed like they were college roommates or something, going about their daily lives. Still, it amazed me that I was still alive at this point. I had no weapons on me, and I was using my chakra to heal their leader. Deidara eventually caught me staring at them, and he looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with that look on your face?" he asked, coming further into the room and putting a hand on his hip like a girl. He had changed out of his Akatsuki cloak, and put on what seemed to be more comfortable clothes. He had even let his long, blond hair down.

My eyes widened a little, and I put a hand behind my head. "Nothing! I'm just a little surprised that's all…"

"Surprised?" they said in unison, turning their attention to Itachi to me. They all looked at me, a little confused.

"What, you thought we were a group filled with psycho killers?" Kakuzu said, crossing his zombie-like arms.

"N-No! It's not that!" I stuttered backing into the wall.

Looking down at the group of "evil" missing-nin, I smiled awkwardly. Hidan turned his head to Sasori, keeping his eye on me and whispering something in his ear. Itachi was still on the ground, covering his nose, which was probably bleeding. Konan was looking at me, confused. Deidara was still standing there, now tapping his foot and Kakuzu was well… Counting money. How could these people be part of such an organization? I thought by now I'd be dead. Nagato then coughed, and I looked over.

"Nagato!" Itachi said, getting up, cupping his hands over his nose. He looked at me, then back at Nagato. Whenever Itachi looked at me, I could feel a strange feeling deep within my stomach.

"Okay, let's head out! Itachi, stay here with Sakura while me and the boys go get whatever Nagato needs," Konan said, getting up and dusting herself off. She had also changed. She changed into this pretty floral print top with a mandarin collar, and long purple ninja shorts, paired with black ninja boots.

"Why me?" Itachi questioned, taking a seat on a small black stool which was placed at the foot of Nagato's bed.

"Because, I'm not leaving Sakura here with these idiots!" Konan said, beginning to exit the room. The boys began to follow after her. I suppose she was listening to us the whole time to know what things Nagato needed before I extracted the poison. "We'll be back soon."

With that, Konan closed the huge, black wooden doors. I could hear laughter and talking outside from the boys and sighed, sliding down the stone wall.

"Sakura," Itachi called. I looked over, my hands placed on the ground trying to support me while I peeked over to him.

"Yes?"

"My nose is bleeding. Would you mind helping me?" he said, awkwardly pointing at his nose.

I lightly laughed, and got up, then slowly walked over to him. "Just tilt your head back slightly while holding the bridge of your nose," I said, lifting his chin slightly. He put his thumb and index finger tightly around the bridge of his nose just as I had said. "And the bleeding should stop soon."

"Thank you," Itachi said in a funny, nasally voice.

I giggled, and then sat on the floor in front of him.

"You guys aren't what I expected you to be," I said, looking up at him, an unnoticed smile on my face.

"What do you mean by that?" he said, still holding the bridge of his nose.

I sighed, and then looked at Nagato who had calmed down and fallen asleep.

"Well, I thought I'd be dead right now. You people were the most wanted ninjas in the whole world,"

"We _were _the most wanted ninjas in the world. Sakura, I don't know if you haven't caught on yet but the Akatsuki aren't working towards the same goal we were last time. We've all just sort of realized something."

"And what's that?"

He looked away then at Nagato, who was sound asleep and breathing more calmly. "We went back to the original goal. The Akatsuki want to bring back peace the Shinobi world. Right now, we have information that Konoha doesn't have, Sakura. Konoha is in danger, and we're doing everything we can to keep the other villages under control."

"Konoha? I don't understand."

"Other countries are planning to form an alliance and overthrow Konoha. They want to take its resources and control the ninja there. They plan on using Konoha Shinobi for their own villages. Recently, riots have been breaking out in the other countries."

My eyes widened a bit, and I backed up a little. "What do you mean? Riots? Why?!"

"Because of many reasons. Every village, every country has their own reasons. Kusagakure for example, they are the ones who give Konoha the food that they eat, in exchange for them hosting their chunin exams. For some reason, Konoha hasn't been passing almost any of the genin from Kusa, and they don't like that. But, that's just one example. It gets worse…"

"How much worse?"

He turned back to me, his eyes looking deeply into mine. "Takumi Village, the ones who supply the weapons to the ninja world, has teamed up with the other countries. Apparently Konoha owes a huge debt to them, which hasn't been paid off for a very long time. It's every country that's going against Konoha."

I looked down at the ground, and sighed, hugging my knees to my chest. "I don't understand why. Konoha is a good village, with good people."

"Sadly it's not Sakura. Maybe you and your friends are good Shinobi, but others are not. Your leaders are the ones who are doing this to other countries. You just don't know it."

I then looked back up at Itachi, who was looking straight down at me—almost in pity that I belonged to such a hated village.

"Is that why you left? Because you knew Konoha was a bad place?"

He raised both his brows, taking his hand off his nose. "It's not that Konoha is a bad place. It's your leaders. I love Konoha. The village was so lively when I was younger… But then things changed. Naruto, your friend, he's a strong one. I see great things in him. That boy has a pure love for Konoha, and would never do anything to hurt it. I just hope that your peers will be the one to change things," he said, a slight smile growing on his face. "Well, honestly it seems your peers already have changed things." Itachi saying those words made me smile. I was surprised that he was actually telling me this. He had a few points. "The reason I left the village was to protect my brother. I thought it was the right thing to do, but instead it made him an avenger. I'm sorry Sakura, that I was the reason you and Naruto lost a friend."

"No Itachi, it's fine now. I mean, Sasuke's back and he's joining the ANBU soon!"

"He's joining the ANBU?" Itachi wondered, with a very surprised look on his face. I nodded with a smile, and he then crossed his arms. "Wow, I always knew he could do it."

I smiled at the way Itachi thought of his brother. He didn't seem to be the heartless person Konoha made him out to be. This made me question reality. Was this really happening? Was I really assisting criminals and having a nice conversation with Itachi Uchiha? The Itachi Uchiha who killed his whole clan, destroyed villages, and almost killed Kakashi-sensei. My eyes were fixed on the ground unknowingly, when Itachi caught me in a daze.

"Sakura?" he called out to me, tapping me gently on the shoulder.

I jumped then awkwardly smiled at him. "Oh! Sorry," I said laughing. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

My eyes widened and I looked up at him, trying to think of something quick to say.

"You guys are gonna let me go right? I mean, its fun being here and all but I have to head back to the village. Naruto and Sasuke are probably worried sick looking for me!"

He got up then began to softly laugh. It sounded almost evil, but soon he turned back and smile at me. Itachi's smile was really nice. I had never noticed how handsome Itachi really was until now. "Of course, there's no way we'd keep you here."

He smirked at me, and I only smiled back. That was the only thing I could do. I was still scared. Deep down inside there was still a fear that this could all be an act, and as soon as I healed Nagato, they'd kill me. Luckily, this didn't seem like the case. The whole time I was here, the only time I'd actually been hurt was when Deidara and his band of assholes kicked me around. But, that was over and I could see that Konan, being the only woman here besides me, would gladly defend me. I got up, and walked over to Itachi, smiling until I heard a door slam on the other side of the door me and Itachi were near.

"Damn it Deidara! You just had to go overboard and buy useless stuff!" Konan yelled, stomping as she walked in the place—where ever we were at.

"I work had for that money," Kakuzu added.

"Hey, you never know! One day we just might need these slippers!" he sang.

"Slippers Deidara?! When are you and Hidan going to need those damn pink slippers?!" Konan yelled.

Itachi turned to me, smiling with an amused look on his face. I laughed, and then put my hand over my mouth. He grabbed my wrists, laughing with me. We both silently laughed together until we both snorted, which made us laugh even more.

"H-Hey! We forgot about those two in there!" Hidan yelled. Itachi and I looked at each other, and he ran to the other side of the room, trying to act normal. I did the same thing, and walked over to Nagato's side, pretending like I had been there the whole time they were gone.

"Okay, okay, we got everything you needed Sakura! Now what?!" Hidan said, bursting in the room holding a huge plastic bag.

Konan came in after him, looking very annoyed and angry. "Okay Sakura, how do you make this?"

Hidan threw the bag at me, half way across the room. Just before it was about to hit me, Itachi caught the bag with one hand. He looked over to me gently, and handed me the bag filled with the contents to heal Nagato. The things I were about to do would categorize me as a traitor. I was now a traitor to Konoha—if the Akatsuki were still as evil as they were two years ago, which didn't seem to be the case. Silently, I took out all the ingredients.

"Here, let me help you," Itachi said, walking over to me and helping me grab everything out of the plastic bag. Just as we had reached for the lemons, both our hands grabbed it at the same time.

"I'm sorry," we both said, pulling our hands away. I slightly blushed, then took out the last lemon before he threw away the plastic bag. After I had told Itachi what to do, he began to cut up the ingredients for me and placed them in a small bowl.

"Now we need some cold water," I said, cutting two last lemons. Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori and Deidara all watched me and Itachi make the elixir silently, whispering something to each other every now and then. Itachi and I tried to avoid it, and would look at each other, wondering what they were all saying. Once Konan brought me a huge jug of cold water, I poured everything in there, and had Itachi shake it around for me.

"So, what's that supposed to do exactly? Hm," Deidara asked, pointing at the huge, clear jug that Itachi was still shaking.

"After I extract the poison, his body may go into shock. This will prevent his body from that, and doing any more damage. Also, this is going to clean out his system. So for the next few days, I'd stay away from the bathroom," I said awkwardly, hoping they'd catch on.

"W-What?! Really?" Hidan said, jumping out of his seat and clenching both his fists in the air. "That's so cool! I wanna try that!"

"You idiot! Shut up!" Kakuzu said, pulling on Hidan's sleeve and pulling him back down next to him.

Itachi looked at me, shaking his head and smiling. I always thought that if I ever got the chance to see Itachi that he would be either killing me or trying to kill me, but this was rare. This moment that I was having was beyond rare. He was actually smiling, and having a seemingly nice time. He helped me remove the poison from Nagato's chest, and put poison in small glass vials. After extracting the purple, deathly poison from his body, Konan helped him drink the juice me and Itachi had prepared. We sat around him—me next to Itachi, Itachi next to Konan, Konan next to Deidara, Deidara next to Hidan, Hidan next to Kakuzu, Kakuzu next to Sasori, and Sasori next to Kisame. We all watched him gulp down the drink, and once he was done he handed Kakuzu the glass cup.

"Nagato, how do you feel?" Konan asked, her hands clasped together, hoping that he was much better.

His eyes held a misty daze, and his mouth was slightly hung open. Licking his lips, he blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes with a light smile. "Great…" he said until we heard a very loud rumbling coming from the lower part of his stomach. His eyes went wide, and we all backed up as he jumped out of the bed and ran out the huge, black wooden door.

"Looks like my work here is done," I mumbled to myself.

Itachi looked over to me and smiled lightly, putting a hand behind his head. "Yeah Konan, I think we should let her leave."

She turned her head over, and nodded. "Alright, Itachi, you and Kisame lead her back to Konoha. They've been looking for her. On the way back we heard something about a search party so get a move on," Konan said, her sweet voice gliding out of her mouth. Her eyes were something like a moon in the early stages of an eclipse; they were a beautiful shade of amber. She was a very beautiful girl, so pretty I almost couldn't understand how she didn't have men begging at her feet. It was probably due to the fact that she was very intimidating. I think if she were a man, I'd be dead scared of her.

"Well, thanks blossom girl," Sasori said, walking past me—probably still upset about the fact that me and lady Chiyo had killed him…

"Yeah whatever your name was," Kakuzu said, getting up and offering me a very slimy and black bill. "I don't usually do this, but thank you for saving our leader."

I looked at the bill, and pushed it lightly away. "Um, thank you, but I'm fine," I said awkwardly, as I began to leave the room with Itachi and Kisame.

We walked past the huge doors, and walked out two more huge brown oak doors. Outside, the night air was cool and fresh against my skin. I breathed in and out, when I realized how cold it had gotten.

"Here," Itachi said, taking off his Akatsuki cloak and putting it around my shoulders. "You look really cold."

"Look at that, Itachi being gentle men, eh?" Kisame taunted. Itachi only rolled his eyes with a smile, and then looked down at me as we walked. Tonight the moon was being covered up by long grey clouds, which from my perspective, looked like rain clouds. Tightening the cloak around me, I noticed Kisame giving Itachi a look, and Itachi glaring right back at him. Once they had realized I caught them giving each other "a look" they turned away and walked on either side of me in silence. As we walked, I had realized that this was all wrong. Everything I had done, and everything I was doing was wrong. I had helped heal the man who had once destroyed Konoha.

These thoughts pondered my mind for a good while, until Itachi tapped me on the shoulder.

"Here we are," he said silently, making sure the guards, who were sound asleep, didn't hear him. I nodded at him, and began to walk off before turning back after Kisame called my name.

"Thank you Sakura," Itachi said, smiling lightly at me. Kisame waved with his two fishy fingers before I gave them a final smile. I glanced back at the guards, making sure they didn't wake up, but when I turned back, Itachi and Kisame were gone. I sighed, then walked through the gates, and ran to Tsunade's office. Running up the stairs, I had accidently hit someone along the way.

"I'm sorry!" I said, rubbing my cheek.

"Sakura, you're back!"

I quickly looked up to find that it was Sasuke in his regular Jonin outfit. "Sasuke," I said, a little surprised. I contemplated telling him that I had just spent a few hours with his supposed dead brother, but if I told him that, he'd probably get upset and yell at me.

"We thought you were done for," he said, walking down the stairs, not even checking on me to see if I was okay.

"Yeah," I said walking away, and into Tsunade's office where I reported that I was safe. Once I was done with that, and she called the search parties back, I made my way home.

I walked down the long Konoha roads, looking up at the moon every now and then—the same moon I had just watched with Itachi and Kisame—two s-rank criminals. I looked down at my feet, remembering the whole day I had spent in the Akatsuki hideout, and when I looked up, I could have sworn I saw someone on a wood post watching over me as I walked home. I blinked, making sure it wasn't some illusion or ghost or something. Then, it was gone. I walked into my small apartment, kicking off my shoes and walking straight into my bed. My eyes began to slowly close, only remembering the look in Itachi's eyes when I we were there laughing and talking earlier today.

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Authors Note: Thank you for reading this chapter! Please, stay tuned for the next chapter which will be published in the next two days. I will be having a release schedule for all of the upcoming chapters coming soon! It will be on my profile page so please remember to check that out!

Please like!

Please review (I love reviews! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!)

Thank you, and now here is a small preview of the next chapter:

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"You know Sakura, you're so useless and annoying! You say you've changed, but you haven't! You're still the same brat you were two years ago!," Sasuke silently said, turning his wide back on me then walking in the opposite direction to his own mission. I watched him walk away, feeling the ache begin to arise in the depths of my heart. I ached for him, I'm not going to lie. I had been in love with Sasuke for so long, for so many years and nothing or no one was going to change that. I craved Sasuke.

I craved him so romantically, that I wouldn't mind just being his friend. A part of me wished I could just make some sort of wish, or cast some sort of spell for him to love me back, so then I could finally be happy and satisfied with myself. But, that wasn't the case. I was a stupid girl in love with someone I couldn't have-someone who didn't want me as much as I wanted them.

Slowly, I began to walk, leaving the dead bodies behind me for someone else to find. Sasuke had killed off most of the rouge ninjas who were after the scrolls I carried on the side of me. For a few more miles, I walked alone, remembering the times that Sasuke had actually been nice to me. I believe one of the reasons I was so in love with Sasuke, was because a part of me knew that it could happen. Soon, my thoughts were interrupted by a kunai cutting me on my upper arm.

"There she is!" a man in a tree yelled above. He was joined by other men, in bone masks with tribal-like paintings on the design of the mask. They jumped down, surrounding me, ready to kill me when suddenly I heard a familiar voice behind the group of men.

"Aren't you old men a little too old to be picking on young girls? Ain't that right?"

Once they turned around I got a clear view of who had just arrived.

"Kisame?!" I yelled, trying to run away when I saw the other man next to him. "Itachi...," I breathed out, shocked at the fact that they were here, and they had came to save me.


	3. Authors Update and CONTEST!

Hello there! I'm bringing you apologies about the lack of recent updates and chapter uploads. I've been very busy lately, and I have the release schedule for upcoming chapters. Also, I have a contest I will be doing soon.

I would like you guys to send in a female OC and a male OC for a few upcoming chapters! If you are interested, you can send me a message or write me in the reviews section of this story. I will be needing you to fill out a character profile chart, and link a picture of your OC. Be creative because I will be picking the two winners based on looks, personality, and how creative they are. Your OC will be featured in the story as one of the main characters who will be introduced later on! Also, your OC will get a Tumblr page which features a full page of detailed stats and bios! My artist will also draw scenes of your OC in the story! Check below for the character application! You may send in your character application via Private Message or Review! The contest ends May 19, 2014!

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**Chapter 3** – _A Promise_ – **Thursday April 24, 2014**

**Chapter 4-** _A Glance At Jealously_ – **Sunday April 27, 2014**

**Chapter 5 –** _Playing Hospital_ – **Tuesday April 29, 2014**

**Chapter 6 –** _Slipping_ – **Thursday May 1, 2014**

**Chapter 7 –** _Midnight Hero_ – **Tuesday May 6, 2014**

**Chapter 8 –**_ A Favor and Feelings_ – **Thursday May 8, 2014**

**Chapter 9-** _A Door Left Unlocked_ – **Saturday May 10, 2014**

**Chapter 10 –** _Consumed By Flames_ - **Monday May 12, 2014**

**Chapter 11-**_ A Part of Me_ – **Thursday May 15, 2014**

**Chapter** **12** – _Beautiful Beginnings_ - **Saturday May 17, 2014**

**Chapter 13** – _Fall Asleep, Dream of You_ – **Tuesday May 20, 2014**

**Chapter 14** - _Caught In Romantic Toxins_ – **Friday May 23, 2014**

**Chapter 15** – _Birthday Wishes_ – **Sunday May 25, 2014**

**Chapter 16** – _A New Face_ – **Tuesday May 27, 2014**

**Chapter 17** – _Accepted By Envy_ – **Friday May 30, 2014**

**Chapter 18 –** _Making Our Home_ – **Tuesday June 3, 2014**

**Chapter 19 –** _What's Not Yours_ –** Friday June 6, 2014**

**Chapter 20 –**_ Trying_ – **Tuesday June 10, 2014**

There will be more upcoming chapters! Please keep up to date with the chapters, and I will announce when there will be new chapters!

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Here is the application for the OC Contest! Remember you can send it through Review or Private Message! I look forward to seeing your OCs!

I will be picking a winner on May 19! I will announce the winners and make a personal Tumblr page for their OC so you guys may check them out!

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Birthday:**

**Height:**

**Weight:**

**Blood Type:**

**Affiliation:**

**Clan:**_ (If any)_

**Ninja Rank:**

**Classification:**

**Background:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:** _(You may describe or link a picture.)_

**Role:** _(If you'd like your OC to do anything specific if you are a chosen winner, as an example: Be the lost lover of Itachi, then you may put that here. I'm open to anything.)_

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Thank you guys!


	4. Authors Note

Sorry about the lack of updates you guys!

I've been very busy with school and finishing off this school year! Plus, I start drivers ED which is every day for two hours, so if I don't update as much as I do, it's because I'm very busy with writing this story and doing other things!

But I have decided that if you guys would like to get updates on the story you can go follow this story's twitter account onyxcherriesfic

From there, I will post updates you'll be the first ones to get information first about the story! I will also post small bits of upcoming chapters!

Thank you all for your OC submissions and please keep them coming!


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